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My House

Boy's Bedroom

guest room to boy’s room

My boys have been sharing a room from the point when my youngest, Calvin, was sleeping through the night.  They are 19 months apart and both boys, so it’s just made sense to have them share a room. Now that they are nine and almost eight, I’m seeing that they are both craving their own space.  Since they have the same interests and are so close in age they pretty much share everything.  While they are best friends and get along most of the time, there is definitely a little too much togetherness and that’s showing as they pick at each other. So, we have decided to turn the guest room into Calvin’s room.  We only use it a few times a year for guests, so it really makes sense to claim it for one of the boys. I honestly resisted the idea for a while, but I thought back to

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Before and Afters

Farmhouse White Dining Room Table

I have been thinking about painting my dining room table top for ages.  I never actually went through with it, though.  Partly because of time, but mostly because I was a little nervous about painting it.  Yes, I was actually nervous about it!  I have never had an all-white dining room table and I honestly wasn’t sure if I would like it.  As much as I like painted pieces, I am partial to wood tops. The thing with this table is that the top is made out of an old barn door and, if you take off the runner, you can definitely see that.  There was a sign posted on it back in the day when it was a door. And, while I don’t think woods used in a room have to match, the top didn’t really relate to anything else in the room.  So, I had the house to myself for

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a slice of life

mms-8988

I’ve mentioned my distain for the task of doing laundry on more than a few occasions here on the blog and even in my book.  It’s not that it’s a horrible, draining, back-breaking task, but it’s never ending.  You finish and there are already dirty clothes piling up in the hamper.  It’s never done.  And I am a person who likes done-ness! I have found that a lot of these never-done household chores cause me stress.  I wish I could turn off the switch that makes me intolerant of a dirty, messy space, but I just can’t.   So, Jeff and I have been working together to find ways to keep the household running smoothly and my stress levels down. We’ve found some good solutions for cleaning, cooking, dishes, and money-management, but the laundry has still been an area of inefficiency…mostly because we were working with a washer and dryer that

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All Things Home

white splint basket

If you’ve been reading my posts over the past few weeks, you know that I have a new-found love for baskets.  I collected a lot of them to sell at Lucketts and I enjoyed using them as props around the studio.  During one of my shopping trips, though, I bought a basket for myself. It’s this beautiful, antique splint basket with chippy white paint… Splint baskets are made out of thin wood strips, so they are lot sturdier than baskets made from woven reeds, rushing, branches, etc.   I haven’t seen one before with chippy white paint, though, and that’s what drew me to it.  It has just the right balance of chipping paint with the wood peeking through. And how about that pie safe?!  I mentioned it in a post a few weeks ago, but I haven’t shared much about it. I had seen it in an antique store

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Family Room

peonies & the family room

Last year I planted two peony bushes along the side of my house.  I never even knew what peonies were until one sweet reader sent some to me a couple of years ago as a “studio warming” gift when I moved into the studio space I currently run my business from.  (I still can’t believe I used to do all of this from my house!) They were such beautiful, delicate, and long-lasting flowers and I was excited to learn I could grow them in my yard!  In fact, my neighbor had a peony bush just on their side of the property line, so I knew I had a good chance of success with them. Well, this year, I got some beautiful blossoms off of both… I also never knew about the whole ants & peony controversy, but I got to see it first hand.  It is believed that the ants help

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All Things Home

ironstone, a tool tote, bottles & tags

After all of the craziness of Lucketts, I decided to take the week off.  I knew I probably would, so I cleared the calendar.  Sometimes I think I’ll want a break and then I don’t. I feel the momentum and I am raring to go.  This time I thought I would want a break and I was right.  I really needed it.  So, I had a “jammie day” and splurged on a massage and I even did a little antique shopping just for me. I thought I would share those finds as well a few things I picked up at Lucketts (when I was “walking around to warm my feet.”) One of those Lucketts purchases was this large ironstone footed bowl.  My mom and Kriste shook their heads when I pulled it out of the bag to show it to them.  Mom asked, “Don’t you already have one like that?”

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a slice of life

tiny topiaries & “just our stuff”

Last year was a big year for me.  I finally decided to give gardening and indoor plants a real effort.  I was actually going to water, tend, prune, weed, and fertilize.  Guess what happened?  I didn’t kill everything! I only killed some things, but I learned a lot along the way. I was not excited about warmer temperatures, because the A/C is broken in my van, but I was looking forward to the greenhouses being full again!  When my mom and I were antique shopping on Friday, we popped into a couple of local nurseries.  I was looking specifically for topiaries, but only found a half-blackened rosemary topiary.  I did find some little plants that could be trimmed up and made into topiaries, so I thought I would give that a try. I trimmed them up and tied them with cotton string to some little sticks I found in the

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All Things Home

back at the house & JAK Camera Strap Giveaway

There has been a lot of activity at the studio and things have been pretty quiet at my house.  I did rearrange the family room a few weeks ago, but otherwise, my house is just my house, which is a big change from how it was a couple of years ago. If I was at this stage of getting ready for Lucketts, I would have things piled up in my dining room, pieces in every corner of my basement and I would be hauling furniture up to my family room for quick photo shoots before I rearranged the furniture back in place by the end of the day. I realize I’m enjoying my house much more as just a home, not a place of business AND a home. Anyway, after living with the new arrangement for a couple of weeks, I am totally sold on it.  I still have a lot

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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